A Defense of our Arguments Against Kneeling in Receiving the Lords Supper, Defense 16
Defence of our sixteenth Argument.
THe ancient Kirk received not the communion kneeling. VponUpon the Lords day it was the custome to stand, and that for a thousand years, even in time of publick prayer. He sayth, that howbeit in time of prayer they stood on the Lords day, to testifie their profession of Christs resurrection, yet at the celebration of the supper they might have kneeled. I ask then, was it more needful to testifie their profession of Christs resurrection in time of prayer, then in the act of receiving the elements. It was that day, that they observed vvith such a rite, because Christ rose on that day, and not a part of the day. The Canons and testimonies for not kneeling on the Lords day, some of them make mention of the time of prayer, because otherwayes at other times they kneeled in time of prayer. Some vvithout any particular mention of prayer time, or more generall. And therefore Zonaras vvriting upon the sixt Councell holden in Trullo, Can. 90. forbidding hPost vespertinum sacerdotum ad altare in sabbatho ingressum. ex cōsuetudine quae servatur, nemo genu flectat usque ad sequentē vesperam in die Dominico.to bow the knee from the …ening service on Saturday, to the next evening tide on the Lords day, sayth, Medio illo tempore nullo modo in genu procumbendum esse denuntiat. It is intimate, that i… that meane time no wayes they should fall on the… knees. When at any time mention is made of prayer in particular, it is because it vvas the proper and onelyonly time of kneeling on other dayes. Tertullian likewise sayth, iDe Cor… milit. die Dominico jejunare, aut de geniculis adorare nefas est.that it was counted unlawfull to adore upon their knees on the Lords day. Iustiuus Martyr sayth, that vvhen they vvere beginning this action, they arose, and stood; and vvhen prayer vvas ended, did communicate. The Doctor sayth, it may be, that how beit they arose, and stood on their feet, that they communicated kneeling. He hath not so much as any appearance out of Iustinus vvords, and yet vvill answer, It might have been done with kneeling. Further, they cannot produce(k) Hist lib. 7. cap. 8. one testimony out of authentick antiquity, to prove that they kneeled; howbeit vve produce testimonies for standing, as the ma… of vvho… Eusebius maketh mention. H… …th, howbeit they kneeled not in the act …f receiving upon the Lords day, yet it may be that they kneeled on other dayes. Y… again it may be, and no presumption, no proofe alledged. Our testimonies are generall for every day. Eusebius example maketh mention of no day in particular. Chrysostome lHomil. de encenijs. Stemus trementes & timidi demissis oculis, renata autem anima gementes, sine voce, jubilantes corde. Annon vides eos, qui sensibili, corruptibili, temporali & terreno regi assistunt, quā sint immobiles, non loquentes, non oculos huc et illue mittentes, &c.addeth a reason, vvhichwhich cannot agree with exception of times. Let us stand …embling and in feare, with our eyes cast, down, in … renewed soule, making a moane without a voyce, …o…ing in our heart. See you not these who stand beside a sensible, corruptible, temporall, earthly King, how unmoveable and unstirring they are, not …eaking, not casting their eye this way or that way, &c. Tertullian speaking of some, who …ought, that in case they took the Sacra…ent upon a fasting day, their fast was bro…en: he assureth them on the contrary, that their fast was the more solemne. mDe orat. cap 14 Ergo devotion… Deo obseq… Eucharistia resolvi…, …magis Deo obligat? Noune …l…n▪ mor …rit statio …ua, s… & ad … Dei st…s? Nō n… acce…to corpore Domini & reservat▪ … qu… sa…vu…m est▪ & pa…ici… …o sacrifi…ij & execu… …ss …ij.Doth the Eucharist loose, or rather binde your devotion? Shall not your station be the more solemne, if ye… stand at the altar of God? For after yee have received and reserved the body of the Lord, both are kept whole, both the participation of the Sacrifice, and execution of your devotion▪ that is, your fasting, sayth Pl…ssie, … … ▪ … …. 65… be that thereby it should be broken. And Baronius by S…o in Tertullian, sayth, is understood … fasting Seeing they fasted not on the Lord day, as ye have already heard out o… Tertullian, it followeth that they stood … the …ct of receiving upon other dayes also. The custome of the orien…al Kirks yet not d…u…d to this very same day … a proofe sufficient, that in the ancient Kirks they stood. As for the standing in time o… publick pr…yer, it was not enioyned as … fi…est gesture of prayer (for upon other da… they kneeled in time of prayer) but onelyonly upon the Lords day were they appoynted to stand in prayer, for signification of their …or for Christs resurrection. The custome o… standing in the act of receiving, was not unversall for a long time▪ for in many places they …a…, as well as they stood and w… so fa…e in imitation of the first Supper, that they communicated at evening, and …om… … … Th… costome was observed by m… ny … day. At last it was restrained to the anniversary day (called Coena Domini … the third Councell of Carthage, which … …ome yet remaineth at th… day, upon th… anniversary day with the Monkes of S… Bennets order. Chrysostome also speaketh of sitting, when he sayth, oHom. 27. in 1. Cor. Et hoc facis, cum ad Christi mensam dis…ubueris, in die illa, qua carnem eius linguae attingere dignatus es…And doist thou also this, when thou sittest at the table of the Lord, in that day, wherein thou wast deinzed to touch his flesh with thy tongue. In Iustinus time, the Deacons dispensed both the bread and the wine, to the communicants. I would then demand two things: First, if they pronounced any words, when they delivered the elements. Long after Iustinus time we know they did when as the Deacon sayd, The blood of Christ, the … of life, which was an abuse authorizingSanguis Christs, c…lix vitae. the Deacon to speak to the commu… in that act which was the duty of … Minister. If they did not so in Iustinus …me, did the communicant kneele, when he received the elements from the Deacon, without any words pronounced. Next, seeing the Deacons dispensed the elements to the communicants, whether before that time in the Apostles dayes, did the Minister dispense the elements out of his own hands, or not. It is not likely, if that had been their office, that they would have transferred that office to Deacons Deacons ministring at tables for the love-feasts, were the s…on…r imployed to minister to the communicants sitting at tables in the time of the holy action. And from ministring in common, they came to particular dispensing to every one severally. Thereafter words were put in their mouthes. At last they were made halfe Priests, and got power to teach and baptize. To conclude, howsoever the ancient kirk kneeled not in the act of receiving; their other customes, of standing, and turning the due celebration of the supper into a forme of Iewish sacrificing, as Calvin sayth, oJustit. lib. 4. c. 18, s. 11.and many other corruptions, which entred in very soone, are not to be followed of us. Not long after the Apostles dayes, sayth(p) Justit. lib. 4 c. 17. s 43. Quam non longe ab Aposiolorum aetate coena Domini tacta rubigine fuerit; sed isthaec scilicet humanae confidentiae procacitas est, quae se continere nequit, quin semper in Dei mysterijs ludat & lasciviat. Calvin, the Supper of the Lord was defiled with some rust, but this is the malapertnesse of men, which cannot containe it selfe, but must ever play and toy foolishly in the mysteries of God.